http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/c/c1/Washington_Monument_Dusk_Jan_2006.jpg/423px-Washington_Monument_Dusk_Jan_2006.jpgMonument)" TITLE="读英文《华盛顿总统传记》，了解华盛顿纪念碑(Washington Monument)" /> Washington Monument

    华盛顿纪念碑 (高169.29米)，美国首都华盛顿最高建筑。位于华盛顿国家广场 (National Mall) 的中间，从这里东看国会山，西看林肯纪念堂，南看杰佛逊纪念馆，北看白宫。它为纪念美国首位总统乔治·华盛顿而建造，石碑建筑物的内部中空，是世界最高的石制建筑。所以乘坐电梯上到顶部俯视华府，可有一览众山小的感觉。

The Washington Monument is an obelisk on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., built to commemorate George Washington, commander-in-chief of the Continental Army and the first American president.

The monument, made of marble, granite, and bluestone gneiss, is both the world's tallest stone structure and the world's tallest obelisk, standing 555 feet 5 ¹⁄₈ inches (169.294 m). Taller monumental columns exist, but they are neither all stone nor true obelisks.

Construction of the monument began in 1848, but was halted from 1854 to 1877, and finally completed in 1884. The hiatus in construction happened because of co-option by the Know Nothing party, a lack of funds, and the intervention of the American Civil War. A difference in shading of the marble, visible approximately 150 feet (46 m) or 27% up, shows where construction was halted. Its original design was by Robert Mills, an architect of the 1840s, but his design was modified significantly when construction resumed. The cornerstone was laid on July 4, 1848; the capstone was set on December 6, 1884, and the completed monument was dedicated on February 21, 1885. It officially opened October 9, 1888. Upon completion, it became the world's tallest structure, a title previously held by the Cologne Cathedral. The monument held this designation until 1889, when the Eiffel Tower was completed in Paris, France.

The monument stands due east of the Reflecting Pool and the Lincoln Memorial. The monument was damaged during the Virginia earthquake of August 23, 2011 and Hurricane Irene in the same year; it remains closed to the public while the structure is assessed and repaired. The National Park Service estimates the monument will be closed until 2014. Difficulties in repair include complexities such as the time needed to erect scaffolding.

read more: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_Monument